MYSTICISM & SPIRITUALITYIN MODERN MUSIC

“My goal is to live the truly religious life, and express it in my music.If you live it, when you play there's no problem because the music ispart of the whole thing. To be a musician is really something.It goes very, very deep. My music is the spiritual expression

of what I am - my faith, my knowledge, my being.”John Coltrane

“As a human being theartist may have many moodsand a will and personalaims, but as an artist he is‘man’ in a higher sense –he is ‘collective man’ –one who carries andone who carries andshapes the unconscious,psychic life of mankind.”

Carl Jung

“A lot of my songwriting comes from a desire to open myself up tonature and the universe, experiences with love, my subconscious,childhood memories, imagination and various cocktails of each...

these are reflections of my larger life philosophies, but not in a concrete way.”

Christopher Lynch, Gardens & Villa

“The reality to which the mystic and the artistare exposed is, in fact, the same. It is of their

own inmost truth brought to consciousness: by themystic, in direct confrontation, and by the artist,through reflection in the masterworks of his art.”

Joseph Campbell

“This record thematically is about the search for directmystical experience. Taking the approach of history’s mystics,

the most astonishing form of this appears to be theout-of-body experience. Some ancient guy will have anout-of-body episode and return to his society screaming

and proselytizing about seeing and talkingto GOD and within a century a wholeto GOD and within a century a whole

religion is born. We have little interest inbeing religious, but for the last

few years we have been searchingfor direct communication through

through music, meditationand medicine.”

Swahili

“Music is a gut thing.You're working in a mediumwhich is more in touch withthe primal than the modern.

A gig is a ritual.There's a congregation.”Siobhan Fahey, Banarama

Ritual & SymbolIn Live Performance

Taraka Larson, of Prince Rama

“Symbols like the cross, for instance… are so completely overused now… crosses and triangles… are really mystical symbols. They cary a lot ofweight and meaning, but a lot of people are just accepting them on thiskitsch level… it’s really necessary for there to be a reurrection of

symbolic power... a lot of the spiritual meanings people are putting outare getting kind of accepted on purely a kitsch level or a surface level ofunderstanding. Somehow, tapping back into symbolic power and theunderstanding. Somehow, tapping back into symbolic power and themystical meaning of these things is, I think, a really important practice.On a personal level, it’s just looking at the inner meaning of things more.”

“The only thing you need toknow to understand the deepestmetaphysical secrets is this:that for every outside there isan inside and for every insidethere is an outside, andalthough they are different,although they are different,

they go together.”Alan Watts

“I’ve talked to a number of musician friends of mine who are at pointsin their careers where they can actually help people — like, makeenough money and give back... I just feel like I’m finally seeing anintersection of a way where you can be an activist and concerned withyour community.It’s hard; I want to live my life and have money, butit’s good to... question yourself... like, 'Am I giving back enough?' or,

'Am I doing enough?'"'Am I doing enough?'"

www.redefinemag.com

“There is an almost sensual longing for communion with otherswho have a larger vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendshipsbetween those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness

has a quality almost impossible to describe.”Pierre Teilhard de Chardin